Process for the distillation of petroleum.



C. E. LEPLEY.

PROCESS FOR THE `DISTILLATION 0F PETROLEUM. APPLICATION FILED IuLY 5. 1916.

I MIAMI Paume@ Apr. 2, 1918.

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II' III II I'I CLYDE E. LEPLEY, OF BYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

PROCES FOR. THE DISTILLATION F PETROLEUM.

Specication of Letters Patent.

rateateu npr'. a, raie.

Application filed July 5, 1916. Serial No. 107,492.

ing had to the accompanying drawing,`

which shows diagrammatically and without w'detail the general type of anapparatus adapted for carrying out my process.

lln order to understand the exact nature of the invention it is proper to point out that when petroleum is distilled by ordinary processes, the first effect is to distil ed the gasolene 'and other lighter products, such initial distillation commencing at moderate temperatures, depending upon the character of the oil, and being in some instances carto; ried to as high a temperature as 350 degrees l?. The cessation of this part of the process is usually determined practically by observation of the specific gravity of the distillates, and when the sti1l-man finds that such gravity reaches a predetermined point, (say for instance, ll5 degrees Baume), he recognizes that! the initial distillation is complete. The next step thereafter is ordinarily the distillation of that portion of the oil which is classified as kerosene, such process being conducted at a higher rate of temperature, say from 350 to 450 degrees F., and being continued until practically all the kerosene has been distilled over, leaving only the usual residuum,

Under these circumstances, it is found that notwithstanding the fact that the temperature of the initial process is carried to a relatively high point, a very substantial t0 percentage of light products suitable to be employed for asolene manufacture, remains associated wit the kerosene and ultimately comes over therewith inthe later distillation. The result is that the ordinary distila lation process fails to recover, as gasolene or other light-product, the full amount actually present in the initial material, and that such substances, notwithstanding their comparatively low boilingpoints, remain in the kerosene and thus are lost for commercial purposes, and possibly may be detrimental to the kerosene itself.

By the process about to be described, ll tind that l can extract practically all the 5s gasolene, and other products having relatively low boiling points, from a given charge of petroleum, so that when the later stage of the process is conducted for the recovery of the kerosene, as such, the distillate will be substantially free from the lighter products.

In practising my invention I prefer to employ an apparatus of the general character shown in the accompanying drawing, which is a View, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation,` of the main elements. I

In said drawing, 1, represents an oil tank having an oil feed pipe 2, connected with the source of supply, and at its upper portion a pipe 3, for admitting air, or other fluid, under pressure.

From the bottom of the reservoir 1, a pipe 4,'leads upward through a Hue chamber 5, having a central vertical flue 6, located axially within the chamber and connected with the walls thereof at top and bottom, so

as to afford a completely inclosed annular interspace around the flue. The upwardly prolonged portion 7, of the pipe 4,' is disposed 1n a spiral coil within this annular interspace Vand leads thence, as indicated at 8, to a downwardly directed discharge nozzle 9, located within the tower 10, arranged above the main still 11, and constituting the outlet, or delivery region, thereof. The pipe 8, is provided with a valve 12, for controlling the How therethrough. TheA still 11, may be of any ordinary kind, being in this instance represented as arranged above a furnace 12, and being also provided with an internal steam heating coil 13, as an adjunct toward distillation. The still 11, communicates with the tower 10, and from the upper extremity of the tower a pipe 15, leads to the condensing apparatus, not shown. t source of'. heat such as a burner 18, is arranged beneath the Hue chamber 5, and supplied with gas through the pipe 19.

ln conducting my process, the still 11, is charged with petroleum as in ordinary practice, and the distillation is conducted in tho usual manner by means of heat ,applied from the furnace 12, vor steam coil 13, until the.

tests indicate that the gasolene, and other products having relatively low boilingpoints, have been driven od to the extent to which this method of treatment is available.

troleum being preferably of the saine gen- Siti llfltl ldd llltt eroseneof the desiredv gravity for that particular roduct would go over freely, and, While thus heated the stream of highly heated petroleum liromthe flue chamber 7, is injected in the direction to meet any vapor arising from the material in the still pro' er.

nder these conditions l believe that the :following re-action occurs. The vapors arising from the materials in the still proper p comprlse articles of gasolene and other light pro ucts, intimately associated with particles of kerosene, and if theapplication chf heat were continued in the ordinary Way, t e

gether, but by contact with the opposing While the less volatile portions of the inject ed stream associate themselves with the less volatile portions coming od from the material in the still proper and tend to drop rtu hlt

back into the still, or be retained therein.

The process thus described is continued until the character of the distillate indicates that materials having a hi her boiling point than that desired for the ighter portion of the product are beginning to come over. rl`hereupon, the injection of the stream of Vaporized petroleum is discontinued and distillation is resumed in the still at a higher temperature with the e'ect of carrying over the kerosene or other heavier oils to the desired degree.l en this has been fully completed, the. residuum is removed from the still and the process is repeated. c U

' aving thus described my mventlon, ll

composite particles would go over tonarrare pressure of about twenty pounds will give" good results.

l am aware that it isvnot new to employ a heated aseous medium in connection with the distillation of petroleum, and I do not broadly claim the use of such a medium, since my invention consists in an organized method of treatment which involves the use of a particular medium at a articular stage of distillation, and for a elinite purpose related to the conditions existing at that stage.

' l claim:

The hereinbefore described process of distilling petroleum', vwhich consists in first subjecting the petroleum to ordinary distillation, at a temperature not substantially above that adapted to drive 0E the gasolene and lighter roducts of a predetermined character, and) conducting said process until the character of the distillate indicates that the said lighter products have substantially ceased to come over, as such; then continuing the direct application of heat to the still but at a temperature not substantially exceeding the boiling point of the kerosene of the charge, and injecting into the delivery region of the still a stream of highly heated vaporized petroleum under pressure; collecting the lighter products driven oil by said last mentioned step until the character of the distillate indicates that they have substantially ceased to com'e over as such; and then subjecting the contents ot the still to a temperature appropriate for the distillatlon of kerosene or other heavier products rom'f the particular petroleum employed ndlpollecting the same, substantially as set ort ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto signed Vania, this thirtieth da of June 1916.

CL LEPLEY. Witnesses: llamar@ Buma, JAMES'H. tam...

my ne at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Jill@ 

